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Shortly after the shocking news from Canotia Jewelry, Marquess Eskis and Seraphina arrived.
After exchanging greetings, Seraphina was soon surrounded by the old nobles, while Letticia went to greet her friends among the new nobles.
Among the partners of her friends who were currently in the engagement stage, those who knew Ezkhiel approached him warmly. As her friends treated him kindly too, Ezkhiel, who had initially been stiff with tension, gradually began to smile.
Even when the topic of engagement came up, although he blushed shyly, he didn't shrink back.
"So, when are the two of you planning to announce your engagement?"
"We haven't really discussed it yet. We're thinking of announcing it in the fall."
"Oh no, we have to wait until fall..."
"Well, it can't be helped. Both of them weren't in a position to proceed with the engagement earlier."
By custom, an engagement should usually be discussed within a few weeks of a relationship becoming public. However, the Sharon family had conflicts with the Wallace family, and the Bright barony was dealing with succession issues due to the deteriorating health of the head of the family.
So, although Letticia unintentionally got the long dating period she had hoped for, from an outsider's perspective, it wasn't much different from being engaged and then not marrying for years.
"We should think positively. Spending more time as lovers before the engagement is nice, too, isn't it?"
"Well, if the two of you are as close as you seem, I suppose it must be a happy thing."
As the lively conversation continued, the music suddenly stopped, and the voice of a herald announced the entrance of the Emperor and the imperial family.
Everyone bowed their heads toward the royals in tense silence, but Letticia was nervous for a different reason.
'Dance with Seraphina, dance with Seraphina, please dance with Seraphina…!'
There was no longer a need to worry about Matthias falling for her or considering her as a crown princess candidate, but even setting that aside, Letticia simply disliked Matthias.
Fortunately, after the Emperor's brief speech, the one who approached Letticia was Eustace.
"Lady Sharon, would you grant me the honor of sharing the final minuet of your debut season?"
"It would be my greatest honor, Your Highness."
Luckily, Matthias asked Seraphina for a dance. This reversal of partners compared to the debutante ball sparked whispers among the nobles, but Letticia paid no mind and headed to the dance floor with Eustace.
"Congratulations on your relationship with Sir Bright. You've found someone who perfectly fits the ideal type you once mentioned."
As the minuet began and the distance between them closed, Eustace was quick to offer his congratulations. Letticia smiled warmly at his friendly attitude, which was just like his sister's.
"I thought it would take me a long time to find someone, but I was lucky to meet him in my first season."
"I heard from Her Majesty that you wanted a long courtship? Then I suppose the two of you will spend the summer going on dates together?"
"That's the plan, as long as His Highness the Crown Prince isn't too busy."
At Letticia's response, Eustace gave a wry smile as he spun them around once. His gaze lingered on Matthias and Seraphina, who were dancing the minuet with blank expressions.
"Well, my brother is someone who can become busy whenever he wants to. Especially this summer, I'm not too sure how it'll go."
"I just hope he doesn't get too busy. Spending time with friends is nice, but time with your partner is important too."
"If it gets too out of hand, Father will probably step in, so don't worry. By the way, does Lady Eskis count as one of those friends you mentioned?"
"Yes. Lady Eskis, Lady Dayna Hailey, and I are planning to form a social club together."
Letticia had intended to announce the formation of the club to high society anyway, so mentioning it to Eustace first wasn't a problem.
Upon hearing this, Eustace looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again.
"Then, Letticia, have you heard anything about what Lady Eskis thinks of my brother?"
"…She did mention that she holds great respect for His Highness."
Letticia decided not to go as far as to say that Seraphina strongly hoped to become the Crown Princess and answered vaguely instead.
Eustace didn't seem to have expected more anyway. He glanced again toward Matthias before continuing.
"Actually, among the envoys visiting now, quite a few have brought marriage proposals from their countries. But it's hard to get a read on what my brother actually wants... At the very least, I'd like to confirm Lady Eskis's intentions. Could you possibly help with that a little?"
"I think if His Highness were to propose, she probably wouldn't refuse. But doesn't His Highness not intend to marry yet?"
"That's what I don't really know either. He doesn't discuss those matters with me."
Eustace still wore a smile, but his tone had softened, and Letticia offered him some words of comfort.
"When it comes to romance, it's best to let people figure it out for themselves rather than having others push them into it. I'm sure His Highness will eventually find the partner he truly wants."
"I'm not sure that's possible with him buried in work all the time. And then there's Father always saying something…"
After speaking, Eustace seemed to regret it and stopped mid-sentence. Instead of prying insensitively, Letticia playfully changed the subject.
"Then how about Your Highness trying romance yourself? They say when one child starts dating, the parents shift all their attention to that one."
"That's not going to work. I may not look it, but I'm busy, you know. A prince has plenty of duties, public service and studies alike."
Eustace chuckled quietly and, realizing Letticia had changed the subject out of consideration, followed her lead. Letticia smiled and matched his tone, but internally she was reviewing Matthias's family background from the original story.
'Matthias hated the Emperor… because of the issue with his birth mother.'
What exactly happened between Emperor Philip and Empress Emilia was only hinted at in the main story.
Letticia vaguely remembered it being explained in Matthias's side story, but the details escaped her.
She could barely recall the ending of the main plot, let alone remember a side story. It would've been nice if her knowledge just activated automatically in moments like these, but alas, no such luck.
Once the minuet ended, Eustace courteously escorted Letticia back to Ezkhiel.
With a playful wink, he left her side. Ezkhiel, now alone with her again, wore the same awkward expression he had during the Judith incident, glancing around nervously, but Letticia just smiled.
"Don't worry too much, Ez. If you're like this now, what are you going to do when you meet Her Majesty the Empress?"
"Ah… Come to think of it, Her Majesty will be there too... Do you think I'll actually get to meet her?"
"Probably? She usually attends my parents' birthday banquets in person."
"…Ugh, my stomach hurts just thinking about it…"
It wasn't simply because she was the Empress, Ezkhiel felt extra pressure because she cherished Letticia like a niece.
Still, Letticia was glad he no longer made self-deprecating remarks. Holding onto Ezkhiel's arm tightly, she glanced over at her friends and said.
"Well, let's worry about that later, come on, let's go dance the cotillion. We had to dance the minuet, but we should do the first real dance together."
"…I'll do my best not to mess up."
Fortunately, the cotillion music played at the imperial ball was traditional and had been performed for a long time, so even Ezkhiel, whose dance skills couldn't be called great by any means, was able to follow the steps even as partners switched.
Of course, for a civil official like Ezkhiel, dancing a complex routine with constantly changing partners felt harder than wrestling paperwork through nights of overtime.
But unlike Ezkhiel, Letticia still had plenty of energy and was busy receiving dance requests from all the men approaching her.
Among them was someone Ezkhiel couldn't help but be wary of.
"Lady Sharon, it's been a while. I heard the news about your wonderful match. Congratulations."
"Lord Carmen, it's been a while. Unfortunately, there was no connection between us, but I hope the relationship between our two families remains friendly."
While Letticia exchanged greetings with the handsome, sun-kissed Lord Carmen, Ezkhiel struggled to keep from showing his instinctive wariness.
Even if Carmen didn't seem to hold any hostility or contempt, unlike Jarvis had, Ezkhiel wasn't the kind of man who could act cool in front of his lover's former suitor.
Still, Carmen appeared unbothered by Ezkhiel's reaction and gave a warm smile as he asked Letticia for a dance.
"Then, for the sake of maintaining the good relations between our families, may I request one dance? Of course, I wouldn't dream of taking too much time away from your lover."
"…I'm fine with it, Letty."
Ezkhiel forced a smile and gave his approval. Letticia hesitated briefly, concerned, but eventually extended her hand to Carmen.
However, as the music began and Ezkhiel watched Letticia take Carmen's hand and begin to dance, he couldn't help but regret putting on that bravado.
'…I still have a lot to work on.'
Even if one had a partner, only dancing with them at a ball was considered poor etiquette.
And Carmen had clearly stated it was for inter-family goodwill, not as a sign of affection.
Still, the fact that Letticia was dancing with someone else didn't sit well with Ezkhiel, perhaps because Carmen had once proposed to her, or perhaps because of the lingering inferiority Ezkhiel still carried deep within.
🍓; 'The handsome, sun-kissed Lord Carmen' paints a picture of a good-looking man with a warm, lightly tanned, and possibly glowing or sun-warmed appearance, adding to his appeal.
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